Filing case



March 15 1927.

A. H. ANDERSSON FILING CASE Fileg. Feb. 16, 1924 0 A Wu Patented Mar. 15, 1927. I

umr 1 AXEL H. ANDEBSSOK, or BENTON nan-Boa, Iercrireen, nssrenon ro BAKnii-vAw'rna COMPANY, or nnn'ron HARBOR, MICHIGAN, A conronnrron or, MICHI AN;

FILING onsn Application filed February 16, 1924. Serial No. 693,190.

My invention relates to sheet'metal filing case units consisting of a body casing and a drawer for the reception of cards and the like, generally classified and indexed according to the requirements of the particular use made of them in business offices, libraries, etc., the units being usually adapted to be stacked together in any number desired,

- to provide for growth of the filing or index ing system. The object of my invention is to provide a novel and desirable formation and construction of the drawer and casing members which together form a filing case unit, whereinthe casing member shall be strong andsimple in construction and economical to manufacture, the casing and drawer members formed with track and guide members making provision for accu rate movement of'the drawer without un due friction, and which shall possess advantages of construction and arrangement which shall render the case desirable and well adapted to meet the requirements of users of such articles With these purposes in view I have devised and invented the filing case hereinafter described in detail, the essential elements of my invention being more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanylng drawings, illustrat-- ing a filing case unit embodying my invention in a preferred form, Figure 1 IS a broken vertical lOIlgltllCllIlZLlSGCtlOn of the unit; Fig. 2' is a transverse section of the same on line 22 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a view showing in perspective the top and bottom members of the casing member of the unit, the side towards the observer being broken away.

Like reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures of the drawing. The casing member of my new filing case unit is formed of sheet metal, and consists of three parts, a top member, a bottom member and an end member, each formed from a single blank, bent toshape and welded to the other parts. The top member .(see Fig. 3) includes the casing top 1, sides 22, bottom flanges 3-3' and offset welding tongues 4 extending inwardly from such flanges, and also includes the L'-shaped front finishing flanges 5 extending inwardly from the top and sides, and welding flanges 6 bent inwardly from the top and side of the top member. The bottommember includes a bottom portion .7, from the sides of which rise iipwardlyextending flanges-"8 bent onlongitudinal. lines to provide a track or slideway, each flange 8 having an intermediate horizontal drawer-supporting portion 8? and a vertical marginal guide portion 8 The flanges 8 are perforated at. 8 for the reception 'of the welding tongues 4 before mentioned. The bottom casing member is also 1 provided with a front finishing flange 9 similar to the finishingfianges 5, and at the rearis formed witha vertical rear welding flange similar to the welding flanges 6 of the top casing member.

To provide for stacking the units vertically; and restraining them fromlateral dis engagement, the top 1 of each casing mem? her is formed with a plurality of down wardly pressedlocking seatsin the form of shallow depressions 1 in the presentinstance one depression near each corner or the unit; and the bottom member isformedwith corresponding protuberan'ces' 7'" arranged to seat in such depressions.

The casing members above described are assembled in the relation shown in Figs. 1'

and 2, and the rear casing member 10, which consists of a rectangular piece of sheet metal, 7 I

secured to the flanges 5 and 9 in a suitable manner, as by spot welding. The welding tongues are united siniilarly to the bottom portion 7 of the bottom member, the upwardly-e'xtending flange portions 8,8, 8* providinga track for supporting and guiding the drawer member of the unit. 7 v

The drawer 11 is formed with a'bottom,

oflset arrangement of the sides, and a front, and may be constructed ofsheet metal or other material cut and fitted as desired to provide a drawer which slidingly engages the track of the casing member and presents a neat finish at the front of the unit. At its rear end this drawer is provided with a frame member which may conveniently be formed of a strip of malleable iron and includes side members 12 and atop cross member 13 which is positioned somewhat below the inner or lower face of the top 1, and isformed with two short upward bends 14 which lie adjacent the face of the top member. so as to form a loose sliding fit therewith. The arrangement is such. that" the depressions 1 of the top of the casing are out of path ofmovement of the bends 14,

while the linear horizontal portions of the cross member 13 lie just below the plane of the bottom of such depressions. The bends 14 thus provide relatively smooth running contact points cooperatingwith the top of the casing to prevent the front end of the drawer from tipping downward when drawn partly out of the casing, whilethe drawer may be withdrawn entirely from the casing by lifting its front end to permit its rear bottom edge to clear the track members-and the bottom finishing flange 9, when the dra-wer may be lowered so that the bends 14 of the cross member 18 will clear the upperfiniehi-ng flange of the casing.

It will be-understood that ordinarily. the

drawer of a filing unit of the character described is provided with a slidingly mounted follower as illustrated in the drawing. I lclalm:

1. In a ;fil1 ng-case,'a sheet metal casing member including a top. member formed witha top and opposite sides and inwardlyextendlng bottom flanges, and a bottom 1 member formed with opposite upwardlyextending flanges forming a track, said botv tom flanges ofthe top member being secured extending bottom member including a top member formed with a top and opposite sides and inwardlyextending bottom flanges and offset welding tongues projecting therefrom, and a bottom member formed with opposite upwardly-extending flanges forming a track, said upwardly-exten'ding flanges being orificeol to receive said welding tongues and said tongues being welded to the top face of said bottom member. I

l. In a filing case, a sheet metal casing member including a top member formed with a top and opposite sides and inwardlyextending bottom flanges, and a bottom member secured to said bottom flanges and formed with opposite upwardly-extending flanges bent on longitudinal lines to form a slideway. r a

5. In a filing case, a sheet metal casing member including .a top member formed with a top and opposite sides and inwardly extending bottom flanges, and a bottom member secured to said bottom flanges and formed with opposite upwardly-extending flanges bent on longitudinal lines to each provide an intermediate horizontal drawersupporti-ng surface portion.

and a marginal guide 6. In a filing case, a sheet metal casing formed with a top having a plurality of downwardlypressed locking seats and at least one longitudinal contact surface in its inner face, and a drawer provided atgits rear end with a strap metal frame having a horizontal portion disposed-below the plane of said locking seatswand at least one upward bend extending to a plane adjacent a contact surface and arranged to cooperate there-t with v V 7. In a filing case, a sheet metal casing formed witha top having a plurality of downwardly pressed locking seats and having on its inner facea plurality of unobstructed longitudinal paths of contact, and a drawer provided at its rear end with a strap metal framehaving a horizontal portion disposed below the plane of said looking sheets and a plurality of short upward bends extending to a plane adjacent said paths of contact and arranged to cooperate severally therewith.

AXEL H; ANDERSSON. 

